What is Sukkot?
Hoshana Rabba Simchat Torah |
 My Friend, Max | Observances |
Immediately following the awesome days of Rosh Hashana through Yom Kippur, we prepare for the joyous exuberance of Sukkot - the "Season of our Rejoicing."
After leaving Egypt, during the forty years of wandering in the wilderness, the Jewish people were surrounded by protective "clouds of glory."
In commemoration, and to enhance our awareness of G-d's all-embracing love and protection, we are commanded, "In Sukkahs (booths) you shall dwell, seven days" (Leviticus 23:42).
A Unique Mitzvah
Eating festive meals and spending time in the outdoor Sukkah is a delightful and unique religious experience.
Some have the custom of decorating the Sukkah with elaborate ornaments; others prefer to preserve its unadorned simplicity.
But whatever one's style, the Sukkah is the only Mitzvah in which we are completely surrounded, from head to toe, by the Mitzvah itself -- enveloped, as it were, in the divine presence.
For Universal Peace
When the Jewish people rejoice, our hearts go out to the whole world.
In the days of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, the Sukkot Festival offerings included seventy oxen, corresponding to the seventy nations -- in prayer for their well-being, and for peace and harmony among the nations of the world.
| My Friend, Max | Observances |